Franklin Graham
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William Franklin Graham III, known publicly as Franklin Graham (born July 14, 1952), is a controversial American Christian evangelist and missionary.
The fourth out of five children of evangelist Billy Graham and wife Ruth Bell Graham, he was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, and currently lives in Boone, North Carolina.
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[edit] Early years
As a teenager, he attended Stony Brook School, a Christian boarding school in Long Island, New York. During his junior year he dropped out and finished high school in North Carolina. Graham then attended LeTourneau College (now LeTourneau University), but was expelled for keeping a female classmate out past curfew. He continued in his pursuit of higher education, however, and graduated from Montreat College and Appalachian State University.
[edit] Conversion
In 1974, Graham became a Christian at age 22 in a hotel room while on a trip to Jerusalem. He would marry Jane Austin Cunningham later that year.
Shortly after becoming a Christian, Graham joined Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of the organization Samaritan's Purse, on a six-week mission to Asia. It was during this trip that Graham decided to focus on world relief. In 1979, after the death of Pierce, he became the president of Samaritan's Purse.
Graham began conducting evangelistic events in 1989. Each year, he conducts at least five Graham Festivals around the world as an evangelist associated with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Since 1989, he has preached to more than three million people. Franklin Graham is currently the president and CEO of BGEA.
Graham spoke at the 1999 Columbine High School memorial, and he also gave the opening prayer at the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush. He went to Hong Kong from November 29, 2006 to December 2, 2006 to host Hong Kong Franklin Graham Festival, the first major evangelistic rally in Hong Kong since 1997.
[edit] Criticism
Graham came under criticism for comments he made against Islam in the wake of the September 11th attacks when he referred to Islam as "a very evil and wicked religion." Further criticism came on April 18, 2003 when he travelled to Baghdad to conduct a Good Friday service in that city, nine days after it fell to American military forces. [1][2]
[edit] Family
Franklin and his wife Jane have four children:
- William Franklin "Will" Graham IV,
- Roy Graham,
- Edward Graham and
- Jane Austin "Cissie" Graham
[edit] Quotes
- "Just being the son of Billy Graham won't get me into heaven."
- "I've been called to the slums of the streets and the ditches of the world."
- "Evangelistic preaching is what Daddy [Billy Graham] does, I never thought I would."
- "The god of Islam is not the same God of the Christian or the Judeo-Christian faith. It is a different god, and I believe a very evil and a very wicked religion." (CBC, Sunday, October 22, 2006)
- "But let's use the weapons we have, the weapons of mass destruction if need be and destroy the enemy." (CNN, September 14, 2001)
- "...we'll make a great mistake if we hold back our technology and hold back our weapons and put young men and women in there and sacrifice them because we're scared to use some of our major weapons. And I think we're going to have to use every -- and I hate to say it, hellish weapon in our inventory, if need be, to defeat these people." (CNN, September 14, 2001)
- "We need to confess our sins to God, asking for forgiveness as a nation, and seek his wisdom in what we should do in the days to come, especially the president." (CNN, September 14, 2001)
- "I believe that God created one man and one woman. He gave sex to us, God did, and sex is to be enjoyed and is to be used within the bounds that God created.... In sexual behavior outside the parameters that God created, we're at high risk, and we're seeing the evidence of this with HIV/AIDS. We're outside of these parameters, and we have a huge global problem now." [3]
- "This is one wicked city, OK? It's known for Mardi Gras, for Satan worship. It's known for sex perversion. It's known for every type of drugs and alcohol and the orgies and all of these things that go on down there in New Orleans... There's been a black spiritual cloud over New Orleans for years. They believe God is going to use that storm to bring revival." [4]
[edit] Books
- "Rebel With A Cause" (1995), autobiography
- "Living Beyond the Limits" (1998)
- "The Name" (2002)
| Preceded by Dr. Bob Pierce |
President, Samaritan's Purse 1979 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Billy Graham |
President, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
